The interesting connection between Job Hiring, Human Trafficking, International War and Cybercrime.

How much would you expect the cost of cybercrimes to cost globally? $100 Million? $1 Billion? $10 Billion? Well, Cybersecurity Ventures expects global cybercrime costs to grow by 75% percent over the next five years, reaching $10.5 trillion USD annually by 2025.

This is significantly up from $3 trillion USD in 2015 for global cybercrime. This transfer of economic wealth, represents the greatest in history. It also puts substantial risk in future financing for innovation and R&D.

The cost of cybercrime damage is exponentially larger than the damage inflicted from natural disasters in a single year globally. The incentive for cybercrime makes it more profitable than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined.

There are many types of cybercrimes, however cyber-scams are the most lucrative for global crime syndicates. Cyber-scams can be investment-based, love-based, purchase-based, financial-win based, and job-opportunity based. 

War-torn areas that have limited government control, offer criminals a place and ability to set up cyber-scam offices, which are becoming more prevalent worldwide. In Myanmar, along the border of China, there has been a crackdown of these cyber-scam offices by the Government of China.

Often women are targeted for the scam. Women searching for tech sector jobs, apply, then hired to be trafficked directly to scam compounds, where they may be beaten, or threatened with sexual violence if they do not obey. In man cases, as is the case with forced prostitution, a debt is imposed on the victim which must be worked off until they are released from the custody of the criminals, if ever.

How the Scam works? people are offered technology jobs, with the promise of lucrative positions abroad, instead they are take directly to scam compounds. Literally, human trafficked into these cyber-scam dens. They are then debt-imposed by the criminals, and forced to carry out scams on citizens of their own country and other people around the world, in return for their eventual freedom.

Rebel groups in Myanmar which control the ungoverned area, have vowed to eradicate scam dens in the region, as a result of Chinese Government pressure due its own citizens falling prey both as scam victims and trafficked people to run the scams.

Cyber-scam centres are often located in war-torn countries such as Myanmar, because there are no laws which govern allowing criminals to work openly. However scam centres can also hide in plain site as quasi-businesses or well-to-do individuals located in countries all around the world.

In these countries unsuspecting victims may be defrauded for love/marriage, asset purchases, investments, home renovations, and services such as acquiring student visas.

Well known scams such as “spear hunting scam” or “pig butchering scam” are where scammers target victims specifically and use personal information to develop relationships. Scammers will often use authentic-looking documentation or images of people to build trust.

Although many cyber-scams are activated using the internet (typically email, social media, or websites) they uses phone numbers to call or applications such as “Whatsapp” to engage the victim.

Why Global Laws are Needed?

Often scammers operate in countries with weak laws, corrupt authorities, or social instability from war. Due to this fact, it may be very difficult to apprehend and prosecute criminals who perpetrate these crimes. Added to this, cybercrimes are often seen as invisible crimes as they people the criminals hurt are often located in another state or another country.

Global Laws give authorities the power and law behind them to apprehend and prosecute criminals who profit off cybercrime. These laws while not preventing cybercrimes, send criminals are strong warning that perpetrating these crimes can lead to harsh punishments.

How Can You Protect Yourself from Cybercrime?

Being cautious is always better than, throwing caution to the wind. As the adage goes ‘better safe than sorry’. Never take a job opportunity, a call from the bank, a surprise love interest, an internet website, an email, a link texted, or any form of communication from someone you do not know as being valid.

Take time to do your own validation, by calling back the real business, researching the website, doing a search for scam reviews on a company, contacting friends regarding a person of interest, asking forums or chat groups for feedback, calling the police or scam victims lines for information. You are only a victim if you allow criminals to control your behaviour.

Criminals succeed when victims do not speak out. If you feel you have been the victim of a cyberscam or cybercrime contact your local authorities and file a complaint or start an investigation.